Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Easier Way


I started my Anatomy class this morning. A friend of mine took the teacher before and highly recommended him. I can see why; he's easy-going, clear and has a sense of humor.

Like most college classes, we spent the first class going through the syllabus, textbook requirements, class rules, procedures, etc. He also covered cheating. As a former teacher, I certainly could relate: he told stories of students cheating in the past-- primarily writing "cheat sheets," including one creative student who had a retractable cheat sheet that he could slip up his sleeve when he waved his hand over his hair. Obviously, the teacher caught him.

I noted that as a teacher, I'd observed the same thing that he observed-- that most students who cheat end up putting more effort into it than if they had simply studied.

I was reminded of a story I read years ago involving the great actor Sir Lawrence Olivier, who was making the less-than-great movie Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman had to film a scene with Olivier in which Olivier tortures him with dental instruments. Hoffman showed up for that day's filming haggard and exhausted-looking. Olivier was concerned, and asked him what was wrong. Method actor Hoffman replied that anticipating a scene in which he was required to appear beaten up and exhausted, he had stayed up all night. Olivier, incredulous, replied "My dear boy-- wouldn't it have been easier to simply act?"

5 comments:

SkylersDad said...

Could you cheat in anatomy class by tattooing every one of your body parts with it's name?

Johnny Yen said...

I think that the professor might get a little suspicious when I undressed for the test.

Anonymous said...

I was going to say the same thing that Skyler's Dad did. Obviously he snuck into my notes and copied. Who do I report this to?

lulu said...

I love that Olivier quote. I used it several times while I was directing Dracula.

Dale said...

Every time I see Dustin Hoffman, I think of the Olivier thing, it's so classic.